ASTRAL Foods extended its African footprint last week by opening its first broiler hatchery in Mozambique.
Mozpintos Broiler Hatchery’s initial capacity is 158,000 day-old chickens a week. The hatchery is about 45km southwest of Maputo. This follows the setting up of a poultry facility in Zambia.
Astral CEO Chris Schutte said last week the development and expansion plans for Mozpintos were part of Astral’s strategic African growth plan.
He said the company had been involved in Mozambique for more than 10 years and had experienced growth in the business. "Based on the same model as successfully implemented in Zambia, it was the next logical step in expanding our operations in this economically vibrant country, where Astral already has had a presence since 2000, through its feed mill business, Meadow Mozambique Limitada," Mr Schutte said.
Astral, one of South Africa’s largest poultry producers, said it was also in the final stages of registering a chicken consumer brand called Festiva, which it plans to use to market processed chicken products in the Mozambican market. It is also considering investing in abattoir capacity to supply the local market.
The Mozpintos hatchery has the latest technology and adheres to global biosecurity and safety standards, the company said. The hatchery imports hatching eggs from its South African operation, National Chicks, but the company said there were three poultry sheds on the farm that would be refurbished to house broiler breeders. This will allow the hatchery to be self-sufficient in the supply of hatching eggs.
The MD of Astral’s African operations, Roedolf Steenkamp, said the business plan for Africa begins by entering a market with feed premixes and concentrates, followed by feed production, then identifying viable options to enter the poultry industry.
Post a comment